A host of Hollywood's most famous faces have been announced as presenters for the 70th Golden Globe Awards, with George Clooney and Jason Statham's chiseled features standing out from the crowd. If any bruised egos from Ricky Gervais' ruthlessly funny reign still linger, then gentleman George Clooney will be like a soothing balm on the night. The fact that the ceremony will this year be held together by comediennes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will also reduce the casualties.
Action man Jason Statham is also lined up to present one winner with their award. His Parker co-star Jennifer Lopez will help to open one of those coveted golden envelopes. Other stars taking the stage include Meryl Streep, who doubtless will still have 2012's statue for The Iron Lady taking pride of place on the mantelpiece. This year, however, she will be giving instead of receiving awards. Actors Will Ferrell, Jennifer Garner, Les Miserables' Amanda Seyfried and Smash star Debra Messing complete the array of stars turning their hand at presenting. The main job of holding together a glamorous, giddy night where anything goes falls, however, to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The comedy duo have previously worked together in box office sensation Mean Girls as well as on hit American show Saturday Night Live.
It also helps that pair already have some Golden Globes of their own. Tina scooped two awards for sitcom 30 Rock, while Amy won a Globe and an Emmy for comedy series Parks and Recreation. Dame Helen Mirren – nominated for her turn as Alfred Hitchcock's strong-willed wife in Hitchcock – was the first to sing their praises. Speaking at the Palm Springs Film Festival, the British thesp said: "I can't wait to have Tina Fey and Amy Poehler doing it. That's going to be such fun." Although the ladies are renowned for their comic wit, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association – the ceremony's organisers – have clearly opted for a less acerbic choice than British comedian Ricky this year. The UK comic's controversial quips divided his celebrity audience, although many famous faces were caught cracking up at his undeniably humorous jokes.
The news won't come as a shock to his fans. Ricky had previously mentioned that he wasn't planning on hosting the awards again. After the 2012 ceremony, the star compared the experience to a parachute jump on his blog. He said: "I had a blast actually. It was by far my favourite of the three hosting stints." "I've told my agent to never let me be persuaded to do it again though. It's like a parachute jump. You can only really enjoy it in retrospect when you realise you didn't die and it was quite an amazing thing to do." He added: "The crowd were great this year too. I think they finally worked out that my gags only seemed rude and nasty but were actually not too scary at all. Or they were just drunker." Tina and Amy will take to the stage on January 13 for the awards' 70th anniversary, just two weeks before the Academy Awards ceremony.
